Contri

Folks, if you've been following these blog entries & find the contents beneficial (in some ways), do consider making some contributions by scanning the QR code above. This won't be a permanent feature here, just keeping it active this December. 

I've been reviewing this activity for a while, I'm of the opinion that my contents are not as robust as before where I showcased more guitar-centered entries consequential to my arguably frequent gear acquisition & constant visits to the guitar stores. Of course, things took a turn after the cancer happened & I have scrutinized my activities in the interest of self-preservation. Also, some brands are not featured of late as I stand in solidarity with the guitar enterprises here as they have stopped distributing those brands. The Gibson brands are obvious examples. So if Swee Lee thinks I have a personal agenda against them by being excessively critical at times, know that the opposite is true. I have many good friends at Swee Lee & CEO Meng Ru - we've known each other for a good while. 

OK, enough ranting already. I'll leave the QR code at the side shoulder should this entry be pushed down over time. Thanks for your contributions in advance; things may not be the same come 2024 - just a heads up. Wishing everyone a good December ahead - cheers!

EX

We begin December with a story of resurrection. Ibanez fans will know this Ibanez is from another era with no current lineage. It's an EX360. All EX Series were discontinued in 1993. It's an interesting guitar as the body ergonomics are a fusion of the RG (scooped cutaways) & Radius (rounded edges) appointments. Also, the inlays were the pre-shark tooth version & the headstock decal sits a little more towards the nut. 

When I took over ownership of this guitar, it was in a beat up condition but still playable. The leather bag it came with was severely flaked & was discarded immediately. The headstock had chipped parts along the edges which I managed to touch up & it looks more presentable now as seen above. Two of the tuners were very loose owing to missing washers so I decided to replace all with Wilkinson tuners instead. One of the truss rod cover screws was missing as well & this was an easy replacement. The fretboard was surprisingly clean but dry. Frets are in players' condition with severe wear at the 7th - 13th areas, especially at the treble side. I didn't bother re-dressing them as my light touches manifest only slight buzzing which is tolerable by my standards.

The previous owner was upfront about the body finish which was done by a non-pro. I find it acceptable but had to give it a thorough wipe down & it looked cleaner thereafter. The electronics - it was equipped with a 3-way selector which was duly replaced with a 5-way. The pickups - the bridge humbucker had to be swapped out as it proved to be too weak for any good overdriven tones to manifest. The one you see here is a DiMarzio Air Classic which I have lying around. The default single coils were surprisingly good so they were kept in tact & the pole pieces cleaned up. Volume & tone knobs were recent replacements so they stayed put. The TRS bridge was surprisingly set up properly so very little tweaking was done when fresh strings were installed. Some rusty parts were unforgivingly sanded off. 

This was actually my black Friday acquisition after I decided against buying anything from the shops as there were really no good deals to be had compounded by my limited purchasing power. 

It's already December. For many of us, it's a wonderful time of the year but for me, it's the most miserable month of the year. Living in this country requires you to be fully employed, otherwise, depression will set in quickly.

Charvel: MJs

Latest from Charvel - Made in Japan guitars. I mean, what's the big deal, really? Swee Lee used to clear the Japanese Charvels for good prices. Maybe we were the lucky ones in this part of the world to have Japanese Charvels in store back then. Of course, those were the pre-Fender owned Charvels. 

As the story goes, new Japanese Charvels available in pao ferro & maple fretboard versions. Precisely, these are known as the MJ San Dimas Style 1 HSH FR. Pickups are Seymour Duncans: JB / Jazz combo with an SSL-6 in the middle. Staying true to the Japanese pedigree, the bridge is a GOTOH GE-1996T. These should be predictably in the mid-price range but highly likely to debut here in 2024, subjected to the new GST rate. Darn. 

Pics: Charvel

Black for black

Goodbye - Korg Pitch Black. Not selling it away but laying it to rest. Had been using it since 2009; it's always on the ready, never kept away. Lately, there would be a loss in signal once the battery is about to die. It had served me well.

Hello -  FZone PT-01. A cheap Chinese tuner, it's slightly less than $30 during the online 11.11 sale. It's the first time I come across this brand name. Appraisal soon.

That strap

Black Friday deal, bought this online for less than $25. This is, in my opinion,  a good, generic guitar bag.... 

 ... less this oversight, of course. This is what happens if a non-guitar manufacturer enters the guitar world without first being learned of the industry.

2K Mex

The day we (Fender benders) dread is finally here; the Mexican Strat has crossed the $2K mark. The Vintera Limited Edition Road Worn 50s HSS Strat is currently listing for $2,149 (Tele version - $2,099). So... would you tell yourself to save $2k to buy a... Mexican Fender? 

The irony of it all - when Leo Fender created the Tele & Strat way back in the day, these were meant to be affordable instruments. The pickguard electronics mount & the bolt-on features kept costs down while tone remained delectable. Fast forward today, the Fender name had somehow swung to the elitist corner with prices getting out of hand pretty quickly. By the way, what's wrong with Mexican Fenders? Answer: The price. 

Pic: Fender Inetrnational